Car Seat Recommendations for Children
Select a car seat based on your child’s age and size, and choose a seat that fits in your vehicle and use it every time.
Infant
Toddler-Preschooler
Child
Always refer to your specific car seat manufacturer’s instructions; read the vehicle owner’s manual on how to install the
car seat using the seat belt or LATCH system; and check height and weight limits.
To maximize safety, keep your child in the car seat for as long as possible, as long as the child fits within the
manufacturer’s height and weight requirements.
Keep your child in the back seat at least through age 12.
• Read and follow the manufacturer’s
guidelines for your child’s safety seat.
• Make sure the safety seat is secured
Birth - 12 months
correctly and tightly to the vehicle’s seat.
Your child under age 1 should always ride in a rear-facing car seat. There are different types of rear-facing car seats: Infant-only seats
For a seat to be effective, it must be used
can only be used rear-facing. Convertible and 3-in-1 car seats typically have higher height and weight limits for the rear-facing position,
allowing you to keep your child rear-facing for a longer period of time.
properly.
• Do not place a rear-facing infant seat in an
1 - 3 years
airbag-equipped seating position. The safest
Keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. It’s the best way to keep him or her safe. Your child should remain in a rear-facing car
seat until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat’s manufacturer. Once your child outgrows the
position for safety seats is always in the
rear-facing car seat, your child is ready to travel in a foward-facing car seat with a harness.
middle of the backseat. If a forward-facing
4 - 7 years
child safety seat is placed in an airbagKeep your child in a foward-facing car seat with a harness until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your
equipped seating position, slide the vehicle
car seat’s manufacturer. Once your child outgrows the foward-facing car seat with a harness, it’s time to travel in a booster seat,
seat as far back as possible.
but still in the back seat.
• Three out of four car seats are improperly
8 - 12 years
installed. To find a car seat inspection station,
Keep your child in a booster seat until he or she is big enough to fit in a seat belt properly. For a seat belt to fit properly the lap belt must
go to: KansasCarSeatCheck.org.
lie snugly across the upper thighs, not the stomach. The shoulder belt should lie snug across the shoulder and chest and not cross the
neck or face. Remember: your child should still ride in the back seat because it’s safer there.
For more information contact: Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office • 2930 Wanamaker Drive, Suite 100 • Topeka, KS 66614 • Telephone: 1-800-416-2522 • E-mail: KTSRO@dccca.org • www.ktsro.org
It’s the law!
Child Passenger Safety Act (KSA 8-1343)
locking clip on
a seat belt
• This law requires all children under age 4 to be in a federally approved child safety seat.
• Children ages 4 to 8 must be in a federally approved child safety seat OR booster seat
UNLESS the child weighs more than 80 lbs. OR is taller than 4’9”.
• Children 8 years of age but under the age of 14 must be protected by a safety belt.
• This law applies to all passenger cars designed for carrying 10 passengers or fewer, as
defined by KSA 8-1343a. The fine is $60 plus court costs.
• Persons under age 14 are prohibited from riding in any portion of the vehicle not
intended for passengers, as defined by KSA 8-1578a; this includes riding in the back of
pickup trucks. The fine for this violation is $60 plus court costs.
Safety Belt Use Act (KSA 8-2501)
• Primary Enforcement: Occupants of a passenger car* 14 years of age but younger than
18 years of age can be cited for this violation-KSA 8-2503. The fine is $60, including
court costs.
• Front-seat occupants of a passenger car* 18 years and older can be cited for a seat belt
violation.The fine is $10, including court costs.
• Secondary Enforcement: Second and third-row occupants of a passenger car* 18 years
and older can be cited for a seat belt violation only after another citation is issued, such
as a front-seat primary seat belt violation (KSA 8-2501). The fine is $10, including court
costs.
Commercial Seat Belt DOT 49 CFR 392.16
• A commercial motor vehicle which has a seat belt assembly installed at the driver’s
seat shall not be driven unless the driver has properly restrained himself/herself
with the seat belt assembly. Fine: $500 plus court cost.
*This law applies to all passenger cars carrying 10 passengers or fewer as defined by KSA 8-2502.
free-sliding
latchplate
locking clip
put 1/2” from
latch plate
LOCKING CLIP:
Check child restraint or vehicle owner’s
manual for correct usage instructions.
HARNESS FIT:
Tighten straps
snug enough so
you can’t pinch
any slack.
RETAINER CLIP:
Adjust to be level
with armpits.
REAR-FACING SEAT:
Seat must be reclined at
proper angle. Check car seat
instruction book for angle
recommendation. The base of
the seat needs to look like it is
sitting flat on a table top. Use
towel or foam noodle to
maintain position.
LATCH:
Lower Anchors & Tethers for Children
Attach car seat to anchors in bite of
vehicle seat and tether to anchor
positions designated in vehicle owners
manual.
All children 12 and under should ride in the back
seat. Lap belt MUST fit across upper thighs and
shoulder belt MUST fit across center of chest.
1/2012